The Connecting Railway was a subsidiary of the Pennsylvania Railroad , incorporated to build a connection between the Philadelphia and Trenton Railroad and the PRR in the city of Philadelphia .
58-492: The PRR controlled the Philadelphia & Trenton, and had originally intended to directly connect the two lines through the heart of Philadelphia. However, attempts to buy out and demolish buildings in the right-of-way led to riots, and the Philadelphia & Trenton was forced to end at Kensington . To resolve the problem, Connecting Railway Company was incorporated May 15, 1863, and between 1864 and June 1867, constructed
116-546: A 6.75-mile (10.86 km) connecting line between Frankford Junction on the Philadelphia & Trenton and Mantua Junction (now Zoo interlocking ) on the PRR mainline, passing through what is now North Philadelphia . On July 18, 1863, the Frankford and Holmesburg Railroad was incorporated to build a line from Frankford to Holmesburg . This would have paralleled the Philadelphia & Trenton between those points. The charter
174-549: A large influx of primarily white young urban professionals and gentrification , particularly in Fishtown – which is no longer considered to be Kensington – and in Olde Kensington, Norris Square, and East Kensington. Since the 1970s Kensington has been an open-air drug market due to the area's favorable conditions for one including empty factories and buildings where drugs could be stored, sold and used, easy access to
232-674: A mile south of its terminus. On June 13, 1892, the Fair Hill Railroad was incorporated, and built 0.78 miles (1.26 km) of line from the Connecting Railway mainline near Rosehill Street to Cambria Street 1895–1896. On September 22, 1892, the Engelside Railroad was incorporated, and built 0.17 miles (0.27 km) of line from the Connecting Railway mainline near 32nd and Jefferson Streets to near 32nd and Thompson Streets, where it connected with
290-597: A mile west of Bustleton Avenue on the south side of the Pennypack Creek. On the north and south sides of the creek, there is evidence of approach work for a trestle over the Pennypack Creek. The Philadelphia, Bustleton & Trenton, after completing 3.55 miles (5.71 km) of the line in December 1896, built no further towards Fallsington. It crossed the Philadelphia and Frankford Railroad (Reading) about
348-450: A more accurate map). The area is known as the center of Kensington and was historically the commercial center of the neighborhood. The area is densely residential, but crime rates are highest in this part of Kensington and, because of relocation actions taken by Philadelphia's Police, it has the highest concentration of homeless and opioid addicted residents. Harrowgate is the furthest north, bordering Juniata and named for Harrowgate Park. It
406-431: A more central North Philadelphia identity; however, exactly where the neighborhoods separate is subject to much debate and there are people within both neighborhoods who identify with Kensington. To the east of Kensington, Port Richmond and Olde Richmond are each predominantly white neighborhoods. Port Richmond has a historically Polish population but is becoming more mixed, and Olde Richmond, an area just north of Fishtown,
464-1201: A small subsection of Kensington, has transformed with a new affluent population, as well as greater investments from real estate developers. Kensington has several medium and small sized parks and playgrounds which offer a variety of uses for visitors. Parks in and adjacent to the neighborhood include Harrowgate Park, McPherson Square, Hope Park, Fairhill Square Park, Norris Square Park, Mascher Park, Frankford Avenue Garden, Arcadia Commons, Trenton and Auburn Park, Letterly Green, Emerald Park, Konrad Square, and Palmer Park. Kensington has many playgrounds within or adjacent to its boundaries including Nelson Playground, Waterloo Playground, Hissey Playground, McPherson Square Playground, Heitzman Recreation Center, McKinley Playground / McVeigh Recreation Center, Scanlon Playground and Ice Rink, Harrowgate Park Playground, Fairhill Square Park Playground, Eric Casiano Field, Mascher Park / Maguire Playground, Black Coyle and McBride Playground, Pop's Playground, Pop's Skatepark, Hagert Street Playground, Shissler Recreation Center, and Towey Playground. Strong community groups and nonprofits in Kensington have used
522-727: Is also a charter school, Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School. In 2011 the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced the closures of three Kensington Catholic schools, as their student numbers had declined: Ascension of Our Lord, St. Anne , and St. Hugh of Cluny. The Free Library of Philadelphia operates the McPherson Square Branch at 601 East Indiana Avenue, and the Kensington Branch at 104 W Dauphin Street. Kensington
580-594: Is also historically known for its large working class Irish Catholic community and was the site of the Philadelphia nativist riots in the 19th century. It was also the birthplace of the K&;A Gang , currently known as the Northeast Philly Irish Mob , an Irish American organized crime network. By the mid-19th century, Kensington became one of the leading centers of the textile industry, particularly in carpet . McNeil Laboratories began with
638-602: Is considered Fishtown and excludes West Kensington. Kensington belongs to or divides Lower Northeast and North Philadelphia . It is part of the River Wards section of the city, a group of neighborhoods close to the Delaware River in North Philadelphia. Kensington's river ward identity puts it in contrast with the neighborhoods to its west. Fairhill and Norris Square are separate from Kensington with
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#1732772383084696-577: Is experiencing similar gentrification. Juniata , the neighborhood to the north, and Kensington are similar demographically, yet the former is slightly wealthier and has more green space. Within Kensington, various sub-neighborhoods including Harrowgate , Lower Kensington, West Kensington . Central Kensington, or "the Heart of Kensington" as it is called in a recent Impact Services neighborhood plan, stretches along Kensington Avenue from Tusculum and Somerset Streets to Tioga Street (see Impact Services plan for
754-404: Is similar to Central Kensington but is slightly quieter and has fewer crimes. The part of Kensington below Lehigh Street, or as it has been rebranded "Lower Kensington" or "East Kensington", is the part of Kensington most clearly experiencing gentrification. As it is just north of Fishtown, higher income residents have been moving further up, increasing property values and rents. West Kensington
812-537: Is similar to Norris Square and Fairhill in that it has a similar demographic to most of Kensington while having a more North Central Philadelphia identity, but unlike the other two neighborhoods it remains certainly part of Kensington. Kensington was founded by Anthony Palmer in the early 1730s. Using proceeds from the sale of the Hope Farm estate (present day Port Richmond), which included three enslaved people named Abraham, Hannibal, and Phillis, Palmer purchased what
870-657: Is the Councilmember for District 7. Kensington mostly lies under the 180th State Representative District, being represented by Jose Giral. Parts of the neighborhood lie in the 177th or 197th Districts, represented by Joseph C. Hohenstein and Danilo Burgos respectively. The United States Post Office operates the Kensington Post Office at 1602 Frankford Ave. The U.S. Postal Service designates Kensington as ZIP codes 19125 (Kensington Station). The U.S. Postal service considers 19134 (Richmond Station) as
928-621: The Market–Frankford Line which, running on top of Kensington Avenue, dominates the intersection. SEPTA City Bus routes 3 (on Kensington Avenue, running underneath the "El") and 60 on Allegheny Avenue, with route 5 nearby on Frankford Avenue, also serve the K & A area. The School District of Philadelphia operates public schools. Public schools in Kensington include Kensington High School Complex , Jules E. Mastbaum Vocational Technical High School , Russell H. Conwell Middle Magnet School and John H. Webster Elementary School. There
986-643: The Reading Terminal . It was part of the Reading system until its 1976 conveyance to Conrail . Conrail abandoned the branch in the 1990s. The branch was constructed between 1892 and 1894 by the Philadelphia and Frankford Railroad, a subsidiary of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad and forerunner of the Reading Company . The line branched off from Reading's Newtown Branch at Frankford Junction, east of Olney . The ceremonial opening of
1044-547: The Trenton Cut-Off . The two were consolidated into the Philadelphia, Bustleton and Trenton Railroad on May 1, 1893. The Philadelphia & Bustleton had done only a little grading and built several cuts and viaducts. The cuts and viaduct work that were performed can be seen today, as they are used as a bridle path through the Pennypack Park that run about 1/2 mile that runs from Krewstown Road to about 1/4 of
1102-585: The Trenton Cutoff . On March 26, 1884, the Kensington and Tacony Railroad was incorporated. From a connection with the Philadelphia & Trenton at Tioga Street and Delaware Avenue, it built 1.65 miles (2.66 km) along Delaware Avenue between 1886 and 1887. The Frankford Creek Railroad was incorporated March 17, 1890, and built 0.62 miles (1.00 km) of track from the Philadelphia & Trenton down Butler Street and towards Frankford Creek. It
1160-425: The 1950s, leading to a significant population loss, high unemployment, economic decline, and abandoned homes. However, some sections of the neighborhood have been revitalized in recent years, especially those near Frankford Avenue, Kensington's neighbor south of Lehigh Avenue, and Fishtown , another traditionally working-class neighborhood which has seen rents increase. While most of the large manufacturers have left,
1218-736: The Oxford Road Branch served a Sears distribution center near its crossing of the Reading. Passenger service on the Bustleton Branch was discontinued in 1926, but the Chestnut Hill and Fort Washington Branches became part of the PRR suburban electrification program. Electrified service from Chestnut Hill to Broad Street Station began in 1918 and over the Fort Washington Branch in 1924. The rest of
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#17327723830841276-537: The Reading (former Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad trackage). On January 1, 1902, these seven corporations were consolidated into The Connecting Railway Company . This company and all its predecessors were directly or indirectly controlled by the PRR throughout their history. On December 9, 1956, the Pennsylvania, Ohio and Detroit Railroad , an agglomeration of certain PRR Lines West, was merged into
1334-580: The Somerset Station of the Market-Frankford Line (MFL) . The closure, which happened without consulting with residents and lacked advance notice, was ostensibly to repair elevators that had been damaged by human waste and trash and concerns about safety for workers. However, the decision to close the station "indefinitely" led hundreds of Kensington residents to march from Somerset Station to Allegheny Station in protest, recreating
1392-469: The Somerset and Allegheny train stations, in nearby parks, and on residential streets, angering long-term residents. The neighborhood has gained nationwide attention and great notoriety because of extensive press coverage of its thriving narcotics drug scene, often described as the largest on the east coast. The intersection of Kensington Avenue and Somerset Street was listed number one in a 2007 list of
1450-511: The area has many small shops and large renovated factories and warehouses for newer artisans to set up shop. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places : Philadelphia Register of Historic Places Kensington has a population of approximately 42,000 people according to data from ASC 2020 survey. The majority of its population is Hispanic or Latino (59.9%), consisting primarily of Puerto Rican and Dominican Americans. Of
1508-479: The area known as Port Richmond. Adjacent neighborhoods are Northern Liberties (ZIP code 19123), Fishtown and Olde Richmond (ZIP code 19125), Port Richmond (ZIP code 19134). The intersection of Kensington and Allegheny Avenues (commonly referred to by Philadelphians as "K & A") is a major transportation and retail hub in the Kensington neighborhood, as it is served by the Frankford Elevated portion of
1566-442: The area's prevalent public drug use. Safehouse, a nonprofit founded in 2018 with the purpose of opening the first supervised injection site in the country, sought a location in Kensington after their proposed South Philly location ran into opposition from neighbors of the site. In Kensington, most residents have opposed the plans and organized against the site being located in Kensington, including leaders of five civic organizations in
1624-409: The area. However, some residents and many harm reduction advocates in the area are supportive. Kensington is home to a number of community development corporations working to improve housing conditions and economic activity in the neighborhood: Kensington is represented on the Philadelphia's City Council by Districts 1 and 7. Mark Squilla is the Councilmember for District 1 and Quetcy Lozada
1682-481: The city's top ten recreational drug corners according to an article by Philadelphia Weekly reporter Steve Volk. It is also known as an area of prostitution . Philadelphia and Frankford Railroad The Frankford Branch was a railway line located in the city of Philadelphia in the United States. Its opening in 1894 provided residents of the Frankford neighborhood with direct access to
1740-524: The city, the lack of any official designation means the boundaries of the area vary between sources over time and are disputed among locals. Kensington, as most long-term residents view it, refers generally to the area consisting of Kensington, East (or Lower) Kensington, West Kensington , and Harrowgate . The adjacent Fairhill and Norris Square neighborhoods are more separate but may be included in Kensington; Fishtown and South (Olde) Kensington were historically included. The most conservative boundaries of
1798-520: The connecting Philadelphia & Trenton line of 1.23 miles (1.98 km) from the P&;T main down Tioga Street. The Philadelphia and Bustleton Railway was incorporated on March 17, 1892 to build from Front Street and Erie Avenue, on the Connecting Railway mainline, to Bustleton. The Bustleton and Eastern Railroad was incorporated on January 27, 1893 to extend the Philadelphia & Bustleton from Bustleton to Fallsington , just west of Morrisville on
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1856-429: The corporation. This was solely for the sake of corporate bookkeeping and had no effect on operations. The Connecting Railway mainline was operated as part of the PRR mainline from Philadelphia to New York , providing through and local passenger service and extensive freight service to the many industries located in northern Philadelphia. The main passenger station on the line was North Philadelphia station . Because of
1914-455: The dominant businesses in Kensington in the 18th and 19th centuries. Kensington has traditionally been known as one of the working class centers of Philadelphia. Initially, employment focused around the nearby waterfront and the activities of fishermen and ship- and boatbuilders. In the early 19th century, Kensington transitioned to iron and steel manufacturing and became home to a variety of factories, potteries, and machine works. Kensington
1972-422: The line took place on June 29, 1894, with scheduled services beginning on July 2. The line's original terminus was Frankford Station, near Frankford Avenue and Unity Street. The Frankford extension of the Market–Frankford Line , which opened in 1922, led to the Reading closing this station in 1928. The Philadelphia and Frankford Railroad was one of twelve Reading properties merged at the end of 1923 to create
2030-492: The line). The Bustleton Branch, Frankford Street Branch and Engelside Branch are still operated by Conrail Shared Assets Operations . The Fairhill Branch, Oxford Road Branch, Midvale Branch and the Kensington and Tacony Branch were abandoned during the 1980s. The Kensington and Tacony right-of-way has been converted to a rail trail . Kensington, Pennsylvania Kensington is a neighborhood in Philadelphia that belongs to Lower Northeast . As with all neighborhoods in
2088-474: The longer trip many of them had to take to access the MFL since the closure. Protestors demanded a clear reopening date for the station, safer conditions for SEPTA workers, addiction services, services for homeless people in the area, and more. The station was reopened on April 5 with increased police presence. The proposal to open a supervised injection site in Kensington has faced backlash from residents, despite
2146-510: The mainline was electrified by 1935 to allow electric service to New York. The Bustleton Branch diverged here (center of picture) and the K&;T Branch diverged from the track leading the crossover at the bottom left. The tower closed in 1992. The little-used Fort Washington Branch was de-electrified, and passenger service discontinued in 1952. In 1953, the upper section of the branch from the Trenton Cutoff connection at Fort Hill to Wyndmoor
2204-529: The market including more law enforcement targeting low level drug offenses and not spending money for addict supervisory services that had been provided by the city in the past. As with all neighborhoods in the city, the lack of any official designation means the boundaries of the area vary between sources over time. Before the Act of Consolidation, 1854 , the Kensington District included portions of
2262-796: The neighborhood are Front Street and 5th Street to the West; the Amtrak train tracks to the North; Trenton Avenue, the Trenton Avenue train tracks, and Frankford Avenue to the East; and Cecil B. Moore Avenue to the South. More simply, some define Kensington as the triangular area bounded by Erie Avenue to the north, Front Street (and sometimes Fifth Street) to the West, and Trenton Avenue to the East. Google Maps’ borders for Kensington show it including much of what
2320-513: The neighborhood are frequented by a significant number of people experiencing drug addiction and/or experiencing homelessness . After Philadelphia Police forcibly removed a large encampment of these people from an abandoned railroad track by Lehigh Avenue, several smaller encampments formed under the tracks. Police, after a year and a half, removed these encampments causing its residents to spread up Kensington Avenue. People suffering from addiction and/or experiencing homelessness concentrate around
2378-454: The neighborhood for customers via SEPTA trains or I-95 , and neglect by Philadelphia government and law enforcement . In the 1990s heroin was sold there as people addicted to prescription opioids came to the neighborhood looking for opioids . By 2020 the area had become a billion-dollar drug market with people openly injecting drugs and passed out on sidewalks. In 2024 mayor Cherelle Parker promised policies to address issues caused by
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2436-713: The neighborhood is renter occupied, 55.6% overall, and up to 66.3% in one tract. Kensington's high percentage of low income renters puts its residents at risk of displacement from gentrification. Significant rent increases are commonly triggered by increasing property values and a new wealthier demographic that can afford to pay higher rents. Such a phenomenon is happening across Kensington, causing long-term residents to be priced out. Looking to be close to Center City by both car and transit, young white collar workers have been moving to cheaper neighborhoods around downtown. SEPTA 's Market–Frankford Line runs to Center City from Kensington, offering short commute times. Fishtown, formerly
2494-497: The neighborhood's empty lots as an opportunity to create community garden spaces. Community garden spaces in and around the neighborhood include Kensington Corridor Trust Community Garden, NKCDC Garden, Las Parcelas - Norris Square, El Batey - Norris Square, Collins Smith Barrick Play Garden, Emerald Street Community Farm, Rainbow Park, House of Grace Community Garden, Port Kensington, Hart Lane Farm, and Circle of Hope / Frankford Ave Garden. On March 21, 2021, SEPTA indefinitely closed
2552-437: The neighborhood, catalyzing several grassroots actions from its residents. Kensington is home to a large population of Hispanic Americans , mainly Puerto Ricans and Dominicans , as well as African Americans and Irish Americans . Communities of Polish Americans and Asian Americans also make up the neighborhood. Additionally, there is a large population of homeless individuals. The neighborhood also recently has seen
2610-566: The neighborhood, shown in the map below, are Front Street and 5th Street to the west, the Amtrak train tracks to the North, Trenton Avenue, the Trenton Avenue train tracks, and Frankford Avenue to the east, and Cecil B. Moore Avenue to the south. Kensington is a primarily low income and working class area, and it experienced increasing poverty after the loss of its industries in the 1960s during deindustrialization . Disinvestment and general neglect has led to high abandonment in some sections of
2668-532: The neighborhoods known today as Olde Kensington, East Kensington, West Kensington, and Fishtown, with its northern border at Lehigh Avenue. These boundaries have since shifted so that a large area north of Lehigh Avenue is now considered part of Kensington, while Fishtown is no longer considered part of the neighborhood. The current greater Kensington area roughly coincides with the former Kensington District , Richmond District , Aramingo Borough , and Northern Liberties Township . The generally accepted boundaries of
2726-437: The non-Hispanic or Latino population, 19% is White, 15.1% is Black or African American, 3.6% is Asian, and 2.2% identify as two or more races. The median yearly income of the neighborhood is $ 28,368, ranging from $ 18,516 to $ 77,979. Additionally, 65.8%, almost two thirds, of Kensington residents can be described financially as "poor or struggling" (defined by a Ratio of Income in 2020 to Poverty Level of under 2.00). The majority of
2784-479: The northern alignment of the Connecting Railway, passenger trains between New York and Pittsburgh would stop there only, bypassing 30th Street Station . The Chestnut Hill, Fort Washington and Bustleton Branches also saw passenger service; the other lines were exclusively freight lines. In particular, the Kensington & Tacony Branch served the upper Philadelphia waterfront and the Frankford Arsenal , and
2842-406: The purchase of a pharmacy in the area in 1879 by the company's namesake. In 1903 Mother Jones organized a "Children's Crusade" of children from the local mills and mines to protest against child labor . They marched from Kensington to Oyster Bay, New York , carrying banners demanding, "We want to go to School and not the mines!" Deindustrialization eventually took hold in the neighborhood in
2900-455: The residency of the British crown. Palmer laid out his town and sold parcels to many of the shipwrights and shipbuilders who were outgrowing their riverfront lots in present-day Old City, Southwark, and Society Hill areas. He also sold to recent German fishermen immigrants. The original area of Kensington is now more commonly called "Fishtown," mainly because of the shad fishing that was one of
2958-615: Was abandoned north of the Reading crossing. The Connecting Railway survived as a separate corporation through the Penn Central merger, but all its tracks were sold to Conrail and Amtrak in 1976 and the corporation was subsequently dissolved. The main line became part of the Northeast Corridor , and the Chestnut Hill Branch was sold to SEPTA in 1983 (although Conrail continued switching industries along
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#17327723830843016-409: Was abandoned. In the 1960s, part of the right-of-way was used for Pennsylvania Route 309 . The remaining section from Wyndmoor to Allen Lane continued to see freight service until the late 1970s; this remnant was abandoned and removed in the early 1980s. The loss of industry in Philadelphia began to take its toll, and many of the freight branches became little-used. In 1973, the Oxford Road Branch
3074-432: Was amended on April 10, 1867, to allow it to build from the Philadelphia & Trenton at Holmesburg Junction to the nearby town of Bustleton instead. It built 4.16 miles (6.69 km) of line between the two points about 1870. On January 1, 1871, it was leased to the Philadelphia & Trenton to operate as their Bustleton Branch. The company subsequently went bankrupt and was sold at foreclosure on November 18, 1890, and
3132-772: Was built between 1883 and 1884, closely paralleling the Chestnut Hill Railroad (controlled by the Reading ), and now forms the basis of SEPTA 's Chestnut Hill West Line . Between 1892 and 1893, two additional branches were built: the Midvale Branch, running 0.85 miles (1.37 km) from Midvale to the Midvale Steel Company plant, and the Fort Washington Branch or Cresheim Branch , running 6.27 miles (10.09 km) from Allen Lane to Fort Hill , where it connected with
3190-782: Was called the Fairman Estate, located along the Delaware River in the Northern Liberties Township (area just north of the City of Philadelphia on the Delaware River). The entire estate consisted of 191.5 acres of land, much smaller than the present-day Kensington area. Palmer was an English merchant who came to Philadelphia by 1704 from Barbados . The town of Kensington was named for the area in London known as Kensington, which had been recently established as
3248-484: Was merged on April 14, 1891 into the Kensington & Tacony as the Frankford Street Branch. The K&T built 2.85 miles (4.59 km) further along Delaware Avenue in 1891–1892 to connect to the Philadelphia & Trenton just east of Tacony , and extended the Frankford Street Branch 1.16 miles (1.87 km) across and parallel to Frankford Creek 1893–1894. At some point it also bought
3306-532: Was reorganized on January 12, 1891 as the Bustleton Railroad and leased to PRR. Passenger service on the Bustleton Branch ended on February 13, 1926 due to high competition. On January 2, 1883, the Philadelphia, Germantown and Chestnut Hill Railroad was incorporated, to construct a line between Germantown Junction (now North Philadelphia) and Chestnut Hill . This project was directed by Henry H. Houston . This line of 6.75 miles (10.86 km)
3364-411: Was the birthplace of the K&A Gang , an Irish American organized crime association known for their distribution of methamphetamine in the 1980s. Over time black and Hispanic street dealers took over larger portions of the drug trade, especially heroin , fentanyl , and crack cocaine . In recent years, Kensington has experienced increasing social issues primarily related to drug abuse. Sections of
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